IFA has planned to start CFL in the 1st week of November.
If ISL starts before CFL ends, then IFA expects East Bengal & ATK-Mohun Bagan to field the Reserves(B) team in the CFL.
Due to time constraints,IFA would conduct the lower divisions of CFL in a shortened format
(Bartaman)
From deals to new signings, Indian football clubs Zoom in
In the third week of March, when Spain was surpassing China’s Covid toll, Juan Ferrando got ready to appear for an interview from his home in Barcelona. The football coach’s prospective employers were thousands of kilometres away, bracing for a lockdown that would bring their club to a standstill.
Ferrando, who was a part of the legendary Arsene Wenger’s support staff at Arsenal, shared his vision and style for the club, and assessment of the players — and the employers scrutinised every point he made. After several hours, the deal was closed: Ferrando became the new manager of FC Goa.
This wasn’t the original plan, though.
The senior club management was to fly over to Spain, meet Ferrando, possibly watch a match, and then look at a future together. “Instead, we finished everything online,” says football agent Varun Achreja, who brokered the deal. “Everything is moving digital at the moment.”
So much so, that instead of scurrying from one ground to another in different parts of the world, club officials and representatives have shifted to e-meeting apps like Zoom and relying on scouting resources like InStat and Wyscout.
In India, June is the time when the modest transfer market springs to life. Old contracts expire on May 31, the transfer window opens in the first half of June, and by the time it shuts on August 31, crores are spent on hundreds of deals. This time, while data and scouting reports on Indian players are available, filling the foreign quota has become tricky. “I spend the summer travelling to different countries to scout players or have a look at some who are already on my shortlist. This time, it has not been possible,” says Mandar Tamhane, the chief executive of former ISL champions Bengaluru FC.
Club officials are just one part of the chain. Often, they have representatives on the ground, who crisscross cities to watch a prospective signing in action. For instance, Kuldeep Sharma, who has been responsible for several big-ticket transfers in Indian football, ends up watching about 100-125 matches a year across the world.
Sharma prefers live action and meeting players directly to understand their personalities and mindset, all valuable components in determining a transfer deal. This summer, says Sharma, “there has been a lot of reliance on digital communication and online resources to scout players and negotiate deals”.
Scouting resources
The online platforms provide scouts, agents and club officials with hundreds of hours of video and stats of almost any professional player. But as they now realise, conducting the transfer business online isn’t always the best way. The data equips them with information about a player’s skills — strong header, weak left foot, quick on the wings, etc — but there are a lot of “intangibles involved that can only be assessed when you meet a player in person”, says Tamhane.
So even if there is a shift to online, some of the basics remain the same. “You develop a good set of networks, verify the players’ potential with his teammates or coaches and go by recommendations,” says Sharma.
There is also an element of luck.
For example, one of the most prolific strikers to have played in India, Venezuela’s Miku, would never come to these shores had clubs relied only on online mediums.
The story goes that in the summer of 2017, Bengaluru FC had actually gone shopping for another player, Manucho. The Angolan striker was playing for Spanish club Rayo Vallecano at the time but it was Miku, his teammate, who caught their attention. Miku was in a different class, and in the 2016-17 season he was named La Liga’s Player of the Month ahead of the Ronaldos and Messis and Suarezs.
Tamhane casually met Miku in the stadium’s car park after the match. One thing led to another and a few months later, Miku was in Bengaluru, stamping his class in the ISL. “So you can use online resources, but it is not the same. Of course, in the current situation it is not possible to travel so you have to deal with the situation accordingly,” Tamhane says.
The clubs, however, are cautious. So far, a majority of the deals involving foreign players have either been contract extensions or movement from one club to another. This trend is unlikely to change immediately, as the All India Football Federation is set to give the clubs time till October to sign players.
The Indian transfer market is peculiar, in the sense that there are few actual transfers where a fee is paid, and clubs are often on the lookout for players who are out of contracts. “So this time, you might see a lot of clubs wait to see how the situation evolves in Europe and elsewhere in the world,” says Ashish Shah, who has been at the helm at Chennaiyin and Odisha.
The contracts of a foreigner in ISL range from anything between $70,000 and $500,000 a year. And with each franchise having a salary cap of Rs 16.4 crore, the clubs are hoping to land “bargain buys” in case a lower division club in Europe goes bust or the rates of players fall.
With the domestic season likely to begin only in November, there is still time for clubs. “And till we can meet, we will watch videos of the players and monitor them on WhatsApp,” says Ferrando, 39. “We have to use the technology.”
Exclusive: GFDC, Churchill Brothers accused of misusing public funds
An FIR has been lodged against the two organizations at Anti-Corruption Branch Altinho, Goa.
An FIR has been filed against the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) and Churchill Brothers Pvt Ltd. According to the complaint, the said parties are accused of misappropriation and siphoning off of ₹1.15 crores of public funds in the name of football development in 2017. Khel Now have exclusively got access to the copy of FIR filed by Cliffton Desouza from Salcete, Goa to the Superintendent of Police, Anti-corruption Branch, Altinho, Panaji, Goa.
“The GFDC is a public institution funded entirely through the public exchequer for development of the sport of football. The GFDC committee under the Chairmanship of Rufino Monteiro, Member Secretary Alexio Costa and other members have indulged in fraudulent transfer of nearly ₹1.15 crores to a private limited company without exercising due diligence, thereby causing unjust enrichment of the said private limited company operating as corporate football club by name ‘Churchill Bros Sports Club Pvt Ltd,” a part of the report read.
The report further alleges that GFDC committee members Rufino Monteiro and Alexio Costa had initiated talks with Churchill Brothers and FC Goa. While the latter declined the offer, the former showed willingness to make the move. In a meeting held by the committee to discuss the move saw conflict of interest between the members.
Thereafter, the GFDC sent out proposals regarding a tie-up through official e-mails to the other top clubs in Goa including Dempo SC, Salgaocar SC, Sporting Clube de Goa and Vasco SC. However, as per the report, the committee didn’t allow much time to the said clubs and concluded that Churchill Brothers were the only interested party to make the move.
“Major decision of not only tying up with Churchill Bros is taken as being the only club that sent proposal, but another shocking decision of paying Churchill Bros an undisclosed fee for fielding the players trained by GFDC is also taken. Add to that, the fee would be charged by Churchill Bros and would be paid by the GFDC,” the document further read.
“Nowhere in the world of sports anything as this would happen, wherein the club receives the trained players and also gets paid as if they are sent on paid adoption.”
The report also made the allegation that the said transfers of youth players to Churchill Brothers by GFDC were in fact to support the club in fulfilling its obligation towards the AIFF, in order to be eligible to pass the club licensing criteria which they had failed and for which they were de-licensed earlier.
“As a result, all monetary investment from tax payers’ funds used in training and development of the players have also gone towards the benefit of this one single club to the detriment of the entire ecosystem of football in the state.”
“There was no policy of the government to sell or buy players developed through GFDC to such corporate clubs or give away such players by paying to such clubs.”
“You are requested to direct registration of an FIR against the said persons under the Prevention of Corruption Act, order seizure of the relevant records and carry out investigation in the matter so that the guilty are punished under law and recovery of the sum spent is made,” the report concluded.
The FIR consists of comments that are personally against some individuals and the same has been excluded by Khel Now in this report.
Nothing special in the video... Whoever watches NT games knows we are weak in attacking front and don't have much options in CB position..
1. As mentioned in video, NT will improve only if players play across 8-10 months (min 30 games) which I don't think will happen soon. 2. Number of Foreign players on the pitch should be limited to 4 3. Indian players should try in Foreign leagues.. Even 2nd division of Japan, S.Korea, China, Saudi & Iran leagues runs better than ISL/I League and are competitive. 4. Move out of SAFF which is tough.. SAFF will not do any good for us.. ASEAN Federation will be apt..
bro.. nothing like that in Football .. we need to have blessing of AFC & AFF
Australia an OFC team is part of AFC.. Cyprus & Israel is in UEFA ( I know Israel is expelled from AFC), Kazakhstan (trans continental country) moved to UEFA.. but they still continue to play in Asian games. Guyana landlocked in South America but preferred CONCACAF due to their culture & language..
Comments
Would love to get my hands on it . But unfortunately it's just a myth now.
From deals to new signings, Indian football clubs Zoom in
In the third week of March, when Spain was surpassing China’s Covid toll, Juan Ferrando got ready to appear for an interview from his home in Barcelona. The football coach’s prospective employers were thousands of kilometres away, bracing for a lockdown that would bring their club to a standstill.
Ferrando, who was a part of the legendary Arsene Wenger’s support staff at Arsenal, shared his vision and style for the club, and assessment of the players — and the employers scrutinised every point he made. After several hours, the deal was closed: Ferrando became the new manager of FC Goa.
This wasn’t the original plan, though.
The senior club management was to fly over to Spain, meet Ferrando, possibly watch a match, and then look at a future together. “Instead, we finished everything online,” says football agent Varun Achreja, who brokered the deal. “Everything is moving digital at the moment.”
So much so, that instead of scurrying from one ground to another in different parts of the world, club officials and representatives have shifted to e-meeting apps like Zoom and relying on scouting resources like InStat and Wyscout.
In India, June is the time when the modest transfer market springs to life. Old contracts expire on May 31, the transfer window opens in the first half of June, and by the time it shuts on August 31, crores are spent on hundreds of deals. This time, while data and scouting reports on Indian players are available, filling the foreign quota has become tricky. “I spend the summer travelling to different countries to scout players or have a look at some who are already on my shortlist. This time, it has not been possible,” says Mandar Tamhane, the chief executive of former ISL champions Bengaluru FC.
Club officials are just one part of the chain. Often, they have representatives on the ground, who crisscross cities to watch a prospective signing in action. For instance, Kuldeep Sharma, who has been responsible for several big-ticket transfers in Indian football, ends up watching about 100-125 matches a year across the world.
Sharma prefers live action and meeting players directly to understand their personalities and mindset, all valuable components in determining a transfer deal. This summer, says Sharma, “there has been a lot of reliance on digital communication and online resources to scout players and negotiate deals”.
Scouting resources
The online platforms provide scouts, agents and club officials with hundreds of hours of video and stats of almost any professional player. But as they now realise, conducting the transfer business online isn’t always the best way. The data equips them with information about a player’s skills — strong header, weak left foot, quick on the wings, etc — but there are a lot of “intangibles involved that can only be assessed when you meet a player in person”, says Tamhane.
So even if there is a shift to online, some of the basics remain the same. “You develop a good set of networks, verify the players’ potential with his teammates or coaches and go by recommendations,” says Sharma.
There is also an element of luck.
For example, one of the most prolific strikers to have played in India, Venezuela’s Miku, would never come to these shores had clubs relied only on online mediums.
The story goes that in the summer of 2017, Bengaluru FC had actually gone shopping for another player, Manucho. The Angolan striker was playing for Spanish club Rayo Vallecano at the time but it was Miku, his teammate, who caught their attention. Miku was in a different class, and in the 2016-17 season he was named La Liga’s Player of the Month ahead of the Ronaldos and Messis and Suarezs.
Tamhane casually met Miku in the stadium’s car park after the match. One thing led to another and a few months later, Miku was in Bengaluru, stamping his class in the ISL. “So you can use online resources, but it is not the same. Of course, in the current situation it is not possible to travel so you have to deal with the situation accordingly,” Tamhane says.
The clubs, however, are cautious. So far, a majority of the deals involving foreign players have either been contract extensions or movement from one club to another. This trend is unlikely to change immediately, as the All India Football Federation is set to give the clubs time till October to sign players.
The Indian transfer market is peculiar, in the sense that there are few actual transfers where a fee is paid, and clubs are often on the lookout for players who are out of contracts. “So this time, you might see a lot of clubs wait to see how the situation evolves in Europe and elsewhere in the world,” says Ashish Shah, who has been at the helm at Chennaiyin and Odisha.
The contracts of a foreigner in ISL range from anything between $70,000 and $500,000 a year. And with each franchise having a salary cap of Rs 16.4 crore, the clubs are hoping to land “bargain buys” in case a lower division club in Europe goes bust or the rates of players fall.
With the domestic season likely to begin only in November, there is still time for clubs. “And till we can meet, we will watch videos of the players and monitor them on WhatsApp,” says Ferrando, 39. “We have to use the technology.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/indian-football-clubs-deals-new-signings-zoom-in-6447684/
IGOR STIMAC's Plan to lead INDIAN FOOTBALL TEAM TO THE WORLD CUP
Exclusive: GFDC, Churchill Brothers accused of misusing public funds
An FIR has been lodged against the two organizations at Anti-Corruption Branch Altinho, Goa.
An FIR has been filed against the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) and Churchill Brothers Pvt Ltd. According to the complaint, the said parties are accused of misappropriation and siphoning off of ₹1.15 crores of public funds in the name of football development in 2017. Khel Now have exclusively got access to the copy of FIR filed by Cliffton Desouza from Salcete, Goa to the Superintendent of Police, Anti-corruption Branch, Altinho, Panaji, Goa.
“The GFDC is a public institution funded entirely through the public exchequer for development of the
sport of football. The GFDC committee under the Chairmanship of Rufino Monteiro, Member Secretary Alexio Costa and other members have indulged in fraudulent transfer of nearly ₹1.15 crores to a private limited company without exercising due diligence, thereby causing unjust enrichment of the said private limited company operating as corporate football club by name ‘Churchill Bros Sports Club Pvt Ltd,” a part of the report read.
The report further alleges that GFDC committee members Rufino Monteiro and Alexio Costa had initiated talks with Churchill Brothers and FC Goa. While the latter declined the offer, the former showed willingness to make the move. In a meeting held by the committee to discuss the move saw conflict of interest between the members.
Thereafter, the GFDC sent out proposals regarding a tie-up through official e-mails to the other top clubs in Goa including Dempo SC, Salgaocar SC, Sporting Clube de Goa and Vasco SC. However, as per the report, the committee didn’t allow much time to the said clubs and concluded that Churchill Brothers were the only interested party to make the move.
“Major decision of not only tying up with Churchill Bros is taken as being the only club that sent proposal, but another shocking decision of paying Churchill Bros an undisclosed fee for fielding the players trained by GFDC is also taken. Add to that, the fee would be charged by Churchill Bros and would be paid by the GFDC,” the document further read.
“Nowhere in the world of sports anything as this would happen, wherein the club receives the trained players and also gets paid as if they are sent on paid adoption.”
The report also made the allegation that the said transfers of youth players to Churchill Brothers by GFDC were in fact to support the club in fulfilling its obligation towards the AIFF, in order to be eligible to pass the club licensing criteria which they had failed and for which they were de-licensed earlier.
“As a result, all monetary investment from tax payers’ funds used in training and development of the players have also gone towards the benefit of this one single club to the detriment of the entire ecosystem of football in the state.”
“There was no policy of the government to sell or buy players developed through GFDC to such corporate clubs or give away such players by paying to such clubs.”
“You are requested to direct registration of an FIR against the said persons under the Prevention of Corruption Act, order seizure of the relevant records and carry out investigation in the matter so that the guilty are punished under law and recovery of the sum spent is made,” the report concluded.
The FIR consists of comments that are personally against some individuals and the same has been excluded by Khel Now in this report.
https://khelnow.com/football/indian-football-gfdc-churchill-brothers-accused
1. As mentioned in video, NT will improve only if players play across 8-10 months (min 30 games) which I don't think will happen soon.
2. Number of Foreign players on the pitch should be limited to 4
3. Indian players should try in Foreign leagues.. Even 2nd division of Japan, S.Korea, China, Saudi & Iran leagues runs better than ISL/I League and are competitive.
4. Move out of SAFF which is tough.. SAFF will not do any good for us.. ASEAN Federation will be apt..
1) Invite 2-3 teams to the tourney or
2) Merge with Central Asian Federation to make it bigger and competitive.
bro.. nothing like that in Football .. we need to have blessing of AFC & AFF
Australia an OFC team is part of AFC..
Cyprus & Israel is in UEFA ( I know Israel is expelled from AFC),
Kazakhstan (trans continental country) moved to UEFA.. but they still continue to play in Asian games.
Guyana landlocked in South America but preferred CONCACAF due to their culture & language..